The Psychic Connection
by Calvin Night
Summary: A young trainer encounters our heroes on his travels to reconnect with his sister, but upon discovering his latent psychic abilities, joins them on their journey to unravel the secrets of his family's past.
1. Meeting the Gang

The spiked attack nearly missed as Ninetails dodged the attack by a forward leap, the elegant Pokemon nimble on its toes.

"Flamethrower," smirked its trainer, as the fire-type unleashed a torrent of flames on its opponent. The Forrestress was no match for the critical, super-effective hit. Ninetails returned to its owner's side, receiving gentle strokes across its mane and along its nuzzle.

"Wow, you're good," the other trainer commented, returning his fainted Pokemon to its pokeball. "Nice battle- I bet you won't have to worry about traveling around with skills like that."

"Ah...we'll see," the scarlet-haired trainer smiled. He tossed a vial to the other trainer. "Use that to heal Forrestress- that was a pretty hard blow my Ninetails dealt." The bug-catcher caught it.

"I..will- thank you." he grinned, although his smile faltered. His eyes mischievously narrowed. "I'll beat you next time if our paths cross again."

"It was a good battle." They shared a knowing look before the other trainer waved and left the vicinity. Sam sunk to his knees in relief, his hands trembling.

"Why can't people be Pokemon," he reached out to feel Ninetails' fur, seeking its comfort. "They...take so much energy to be around." Ninetails looked at him knowingly, causing him to roll his eyes. "Well, it's different." he justified. "I share a connection with you, with-" Ninetails perked its ears and lifted its muzzle, sniffing the air. It rose to all fours and motioned Sam to follow it.

"What is it?" he asked as he complied with its wishes, moving deeper into the forest. After walking a few yards, Sam could detect the faintest smell of stew.

"No," he said, immediately turning in his tracks. "I don't care how good it smells. Those are other travelers, Ninetails. We made a promise to only- hey!" Ninetails continued walking in its desired direction, closer to the appetizing temptation. Sam grumbled as he followed, trusting the Pokemon's instincts. He could make out a small clearing up ahead, through the thick density of the forest, but froze in his tracks once he heard voices.

"Hey, that's my spoon, Max." a female voice rang out.

"What did you do, put your name on it? A spoon's a spoon." a sarcastic, younger voice replied.

"I put it next to my bowl, dimwit. Why don't you use yours?"

"Why don't you use this one?" Sam heard the shuffling of ceramics as he came to his senses and hid behind a tree. "Hey, you nearly knocked that over, you clumsy oaf."

"That's because you moved the spoon as I was going to grab it."

"You were going for my spoon."

"Which was mine in the first place!"

"Max, give May back her spoon." An older male voice ordered.

"Yeah, I'm sorry sis," Max bit back sarcastically.

"Hey, what's that?" Sam peeked over from his hiding place to notice that there were four people gathered within the clearing. The girl with the green bandana and the kid with the glasses were unquestionably siblings- he gathered that their names were May and Max. There also was- without a doubt- another trainer along with their slightly older companion, who'd chastised the pair earlier. Ninetails sat directly in front of them, swishing its tail curiously.

"It's a Ninetails," commented Max. "That's very unusual. I didn't think they lived in this area."

May reached into her pocket and pulled out her Pokedex. " _N_ _inetales, the Fox Pokémon. The evolved form of Vulpix. Its nine beautiful tails are filled with a wondrous energy that could keep it alive for 1,000 years._ ' it spouted.

"Incredible," she breathed. Ninetails tilted its head before running back to Sam, grabbing on to his sleeve.

"Woah, wait buddy." he protested to no avail as the Ninetails dragged him into their visible sight and into the clearing.

"Hey, is this Ninetails yours?" asked the eldest of the group. Sam turned to them, flushed with anxiety. He wasn't prepared to deal with this many people at once.

"Uh, yeah, sure…" he mumbled with no conviction. Ninetails sharply yanked on his sleeve, causing him to stand upright. "Ninetails is with me." Ninetails started to wander to the open pot of stew, which made Sam's mouth water in anticipation once he laid sight on it. "Hey, that's not ours, Ninetails," he said, despite his grumbling stomach as he leaped for the slender Pokemon.

"It's alright if you have some of our food, we have plenty."

"The more the merrier, that's for sure. I'm Ash, by the way." The trainer introduced himself, then gestured to his Pokemon, a Pikachu that rested on his shoulder. "This is Pikachu."

 _Pika-pikachu._

"My name is Brock."

"I'm May and this is my little brother Max."

Sam held up his hands. "You're being too generous, I'm not even…"

A long, mighty grumble erupted from his belly before he had a chance to complete his lie. Sam's face flushed to the same color as his hair as the group around him laughed in unison.

* * *

"Are you travelling?" Asked May, as she took another bite of the stew.

"In a way, I guess." Sam replied, resting his spoon on the bowl. "I'm looking for my sister. She lives by the Battle Tower."

"The Battle Tower?" Piped up Max, who looked up from his meal. Ash grinned.

"We're heading to the Battle Tower to challenge its Frontier Brain."

"You could travel with us and we can help you find your sister," offered Brock. Ninetails twitched its ears and looked expectantly at Sam. What? Sam sighed, exasperating. He wasn't about to win this argument. Ninetails closed its eyes and nuzzled against his outstretched hand.

"Alright," Sam agreed, nodding his head. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Ash replied. Sam caught May staring at Ninetails, who sheepishly smiled once she realized she'd been caught.

"Sorry," she said as she scratched the back of her neck. "It's an amazing Pokemon- that Ninetails seems to really like you. You must be very good with Pokemon."

"Umm..." Sam blushed. It wasn't the first time he'd heard it, but the compliment from May took him back a bit. "Thanks. They-They're like my family in a way. They mean a lot to me."

"Does your sister know that you're visiting her?" Brock asked, altering the subject. Sam shrugged.

"My uncle may or may not have told her. He said that he heard that she wound up somewhere in the Kanto region, told me at first she was in Viridian City." Sam paused, finishing up his meal. His hands began to shake nervously, before he buried them into Ninetails' mane. "Then I found out she had a house near the Battle Tower after all the effort it took to get to Viridian City."

"Wow. Your uncle seems like such the troublemaker." May commented while the rest nodded. "Where did you come from to get to Kanto?"

"Hmm..." Sam glanced at Ninetails, trying to remember. "I was at my uncle's house- he lives in Lavaridge Town from the Hoenn region."

"Me and sis are from Petalburg City," supplied Max. Sam blinked in registration. They both gave off that Hoenn vibe.

"So, Sam," started Ash, "Are you up for a battle?" Sam felt Ninetails nudge his side in anticipation. _Do you want to battle?_ Sam mentally asked, but the glint in his Pokemon' s eyes confirmed its desire for battle.

"Uh...sure." He answered, a bit confused. Ninetails seemed to be telling him something he didn't understand. It wanted to prove something to him.

* * *

"I'll stand as referee for this fight." Brock declared as the two trainers faced each other in the clearing. May and Max stood behind him, spectators to the fight. Ninetails swished three of its tails impatiently.

"You ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked his shoulder companion, who chirped in eager response as it jumped to face Ninetails. Ninetails lowered itself to the ground, preparing for battle as the electric mouse Pokemon did the same.

"This is a one-on-one Pokemon battle with no substitutions. Begin."

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack." Ash ordered as the Pokemon dashed towards Ninetails.

"Use Agility to avoid, Ninetails." Sam clenched his teeth as he started to plan. As Pikachu was about to attack, Ninetails dodged with blurring speed. "Now, Will-O-Wisp." The Fire-type stopped just behind Pikachu, and blue lantern-like lights swarmed towards Pikachu. The small Pokemon tried to evade on Ash' s word but to no avail. Pikachu winced from the inflicted pain.

"Pikachu! Are you okay?." Ash called out. Pikachu replied in response, though Sam could sense its energy weakening. "Alright, use Thunderbolt!"

"Flamethrower, Ninetails." Ninetails unleashed a torrent of flames as Pikachu fired a powerful Thunderbolt toward the opposing Pokemon. The two attacks collided and competed for dominance.

BOOM.

The two moves çaused a large explosion which created so much smoke that Sam had to cover her eyes. The smoke dissipated a few seconds later. Sam glanced to the sidelines to see that May and Max were still coughing from the smoke.

"Ahh...Sorry, is everyone okay?" She said after seeing that Ninetails and Pikachu were okay.

"Yeah, just fine." Max replied, wiping smog off his glasses.

"There must've been a breeze that blew it all in our direction," said May as she recovered.

"Pikachu, you okay there?" Ash asked his partner. Pika-pika, the Pokemon answered happily. Sam frowned- was this what Ninetails was trying to tell him? He didn't have much time to think about it, since from out of nowhere a net fell onto the two Pokemon!

"What the..." Ash exclaimed as Sam looked up in shock to see a hot air balloon pull up the net of the captured Pokemon. Three figures stood prominently in sight- a red haired woman, a blue haired man, and a Meowth. In fact, the balloon was a Meowth itself. "Team Rocket!"

"Prepare for Trouble," they began, but Sam was too furious to hear the rest they had to say as Ninetails and Pikachu helplessly entangled in the net as it rose higher and higher.

"Salamance, I need some help!" He exclaimed as he grabbed a Pokeball from his bag, throwing it up into the air. Up into the sky, white light shot out from the open Pokeball, materializing as the blue and red Dragon Pokemon. It roared as the duo cried out,

"Hey, don't interrupt our motto!"

"Yeah, that's just rude!" Sam widened his eyes as the Meowth talked.

"Salamance," Sam said, electing to ignore them. A talking Pokemon wasn't the strangest thing he'd encountered. "Aerial Ace and catch Ninetails and Pikachu." The Pokemon instantly flew, cut the string of the net with the attack, and swooped down just to catch the two Pokemon.

"Not so fast," Sam glanced up to see the woman unleash a Seviper towards Salamance. The man had summoned a Cacnea, which immediately latched onto him in a hug.

"Now Pikachu, use Thunderbolt." Ash said as the Electric Pokemon jumped from Salamance' s back and shocked not only the Seviper, but the people in the balloon as well. An explosion occurred, and Sam could swear she could hear the trio in the distance:

"Team Rocket' s blasting away again!"

"Wobbafett!"

* * *

"Thank you for saving Pikachu." Ash said to him as Salamance flew back down. Sam nodded.

"Who were those guys?" he asked.

"Team Rocket. They go around and steal other people's Pokemon." Ash stopped his explanation as Salamance landed. "Pikachu!" He said as he ran towards the Pokemon. Pikachu jumped and landed in his embrace as he hugged his Pokemon with relief. Sam could feel Ninetails' all-knowing look on her. Yeah, yeah, I get it. He sighed, hands clasped behind her shoulders as she walked towards the pair. Brock, May, and Max made their way over to them.

"Wow, it's an Salamance." Max said.

"Your Salamance must be pretty strong..." Ash began. May held up a hand.

"Do you only think of food and Pokemon battles?" She taunted. Sam laughed along with the rest of the group.

* * *

"I think we'll rest here. There's still another day ahead of us before we're anywhere near the Battle Tower." Brock said as the sun was setting. It was a quiet clearing, not too far from the path and big enough for the five of them. Sam helped set up camp, ate dinner, and soon found herself around a campfire with the others, already in pajamas.

"I can't wait to challenge the Frontier Brain!" Ash remarked as they all watched the flames.

"I can't wait for the next contest." May added. Sam glanced at her.

"You're a Coordinator?" He asked, surprised. It was fitting, he assumed.

"Yep." She answered cheerfully. "I want to become a Top Coordinator someday. Do you have a dream?"

"I...I never thought too much about it before," Sam admitted, sheepishly grinning while slightly stumbling over his words. "I've beaten a f-few gym leaders in this region when I arrived in...Kanto, but before it was just me and Salamance. I g-guess I did beat Flannery once back in Lavaridge, but she was the one who suggested that I start earning badges and enter the Pokemon League."

"You're a powerful trainer," agreed Ash. "What gyms have you been to?" Sam lightly snapped his fingers and crawled to his bag. He took out a case and crawled back, opening it to show everyone.

"Woah...you've been to most gyms in the Kanto region." Max said in wonder.

"You haven't visited the Pewter Gym yet," commented Brock.

"Or the gym in Cerulean City." Ash added. He pointed at one. "You went to Cinnabar Island?" Sam nodded.

"I decided to start earning badges in Vermillion City when I arrived there from Hoenn," he explained. "I made it to Viridian when I found out where my sister was."

The fire crackled as Max fell backwards onto his back with a deep yawn.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to sleep now." The young boy took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, squirming into his sleeping bag.

"Max is right," Brock said.

"It's pretty late," agreed May. After a few pleasantries, Brock put out the campfire as everyone lied in their own sleeping bags. Sam waited, not able to sleep. His mind wandered off to his sister- how would she react after so long? It was years since they last spoke, never mind being face-to-face with another. It was mainly his fault; he never returned back to Kanto. He was still envious of her, but over the years he realized that he held an irrational grudge against her. It wasn't her fault that Dad took off with him to Hoenn one day. Or that he disappeared a few years afterwards and left him with his uncle.

Sam silently rose from his sleeping bag and looked around. He needed some alone time.

* * *

He sat near the stream, poking a nearby stick he found in the water. It was soothing and distracting- exactly what he needed. The sound of rustling grass from behind startled him, and he turned around to see May.

"Hey," the Coordinator weakly smiled. "Can't sleep?"

"I guess I'm not the only one." Sam remained immobile as May sat down next to him. "I'm just a bit nervous about seeing my sister."

"Nervous?"

"Yeah. I...haven't spoken to her in a while. My Dad...disappeared, I lived with my uncle, and somewhere along the line, letters stopped being written and calls were never made." Sam confided, spilling out details faster than he could stop them. May gave him a reassuring look and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find her," promised May. "Don't worry about it. She's your sister."

Sam copied May' s previous smile, but his eyes avoided her gaze."I'll try."


	2. Re-Encountering Her

Sam sighed as they continued down the path ahead. "Does he always run off like that?"

"Yeah, Ash gets really excited when it comes to battling." May answered, with a similar tone.

"Hey Sam," Max looked up to the red-head. "I have a question."

"What is it?" Sam replied.

"Why does your sister live near the Battle Tower?" he asked, slightly fiddling with his glasses. "It's something that's been on my mind since last night."

"Well," he started to explain, but was interrupted by Brock.

"Hey, isn't that Team Rocket's balloon?" he asked, pointed a finger into the sky. May gasped, agreeing with him. Sam recognized the Meowth-shaped balloon.

"If I know them, they are up to no good." Max commented.

"They're not too far…Ash is probably in danger!" May exclaimed.

"Let's go!" said Brock as the four, picking up their pace, ran to intercept them.

* * *

As they neared the lake, after hearing a splash, Sam could see Team Rocket landing their balloon. He saw Ash and another person- they were rather androgynous- in the water.

"Seviper, Poison Tail!" the woman commanded as the snake-like Pokemon attacked them as they floated helplessly in the water. Ash turned around and took the hit, shielding Pikachu. Sam noticed that the purple-haired person used the opportunity to swim onto dry land.

"Oh that's it!" said May. "You're going to have to deal with all of us, now!"

"Hey, I thought they sprayed for pests." Meowth retorted.

"Well, if you want it done right, do it yourself. Go Cacnea!" The blue haired man said as he released his Pokemon, which subsequently turned and embraced him. Sam reached for one of his Pokemon in his bag, knowing that Ash would need help. Before he could, however, the other person sent out an Alakazam.

"Alakazam?" said Max in surprise.

"Now, Cacnea, Pin Missile!" The man ordered.

"Alakazam, Psychic!" The other trainer ordered. Sam froze, nearly dropping his Pokeball. _Is it…_

The psychic Pokemon's eyes glowed as it redirected the Pin Missile, aimed towards Team Rocket. They jumped around, try to avoiding the attack with no avail.

"Look at that Psychic Attack go!" commented Max.

"It's super strong." chimed in May.

"Alakazam," the purple haired girl called, "Get us on dry land." The Pokemon obeyed, using its Psychic abilities to move the two from the lake onto the ground. Sam felt a strong pulse in the back of his brain.

 _One-called her brother?._

Sam looked up to catch his sister's eye. Alakazam recognized him, and naturally told Anabel as well. Sam thought that he could see a faint smile on her lips, but wasn't sure. He didn't need telepathy to read her expression, though.

"Jolteon, let's go!" Sam threw the Pokeball he held, after the woman released her Seviper, calling out the spiked-furred Pokemon. Jolteon growled- a bit annoyed but also understanding. It had a gist of what was going on.

"Use Psybeam, Alakazam!" Anabel commanded as the opposing pair began to attack. Jolteon leaped to the side of the Pokemon as Sam ran to catch up with the others. It appeared that the attack left the two other Pokemon confused as they began to fight amongst each other.

"That Psybeam must of got Cacnea and Seviper confused!" Brock said. Sam glanced at Ash, as Pikachu shook the water off of its fur. They both had the same idea.

"Jolteon, use Thundershock!" Sam cried out.

"Pikachu, you use Thunderbolt!"

The two electric Pokemon both sent out two blasts of lightning at the same time, electrifying Team Rocket as they cried out in pain.

BOOM.

"We're blasting off again!"

* * *

"Do they always do that?" Sam muttered, but it didn't matter as Jolteon ran back towards its trainer. "Hey, hey." Sam knew that the Pokemon could sense his discomfort. He knelt and scratched the Pokemon's ear as Anabel approached him.

"It's been a while," Sam could clearly see Anabel's surprised-yet-delighted face. "I almost didn't believe Alakazam that you were here."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Ash asked in confusion. The other members of the party gave quizzical looks.

"Umm...yeah." Sam somehow found the strength to stand up. He faced the quad. "Ash, guys, this is my sister."

"Your sister?" exclaimed the group, particularly Ash, who immediately sneezed.

"Ash, are you sick?" May asked, concerned.

"Seems like you caught a cold." Max said.

"I have a place nearby: you can rest there," offered Anabel.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Ash agreed.

"How does a fireplace and some hot tea sound?"

"Sounds great." replied Max and May.

"You two do need to get out of those wet clothes," Brock agreed.

* * *

"So, Sam, your sister lives here?" May said in wonder, looking around the manor. "It's such a nice house!" Sam rubbed the back of his neck.

"I guess it is." He looked around the interior of the home as they sat, waiting for Ash and Anabel to change. He saw a personal picture, but it was only of Anabel and their mother. _It must of been after we left._

"If you don't mind me asking," started Max, noticing Sam's line of sight. "but why aren't you in this picture?"

"Max," May chided, but Sam shook his head.

He glanced at the picture again, not commenting. It looked like Anabel was about 6 or 7 in the picture. That would be around the time Dad brought him to stay with his uncle. Ash and Anabel returned from changing. Anabel had already started a fire, so Ash placed his wet clothes near the fireplace to dry. She had already changed into an identical pair of clothes.

"Sam, could you help me prepare some tea?" Anabel asked.

"I guess." Sam stood up and followed Anabel to the kitchen. His sister probably had something to say to him.

* * *

"All these years.." she mused, setting the water to boil. "Samuel, you've grown so much."

"I'm not your little brother," Sam argued.

"By twelve minutes."

"Did I tell you Mom lied about the order?" They both laughed, and Sam felt like they've just connected over all the years they had been apart. It seemed like they had both been equally shocked to see each other and the tension was finally settling down. Anabel glanced at Sam curiously. He knew what she was going to ask.

"So did you ever find Dad?" Sam's eyes fell down to the tiled floor as his foot fidgeted.

"I- uh," He cleared his throat. Sam wasn't keen on delivering unfortunate news. "He's not around anymore." Sam glanced, seeing the truth dawning upon Anabel. "Yeah, Uncle Albin- he used some of his connections...well, he heard that the laboratory exploded." The kettle whistled as the psychic sat down on a nearby chair.

"I had an inkling," she said, glancing at the photograph of her mother. Sam took the kettle off of the oven for his sister, proceeding to add the prepared tea into it. "We both feared the worst- Mother was even sick for a year before-" Anabel paused. "It's...relieving to hear, actually." After a few seconds of silence, Anabel stood up and shook her head. "Well, that doesn't matter now. Welcome back."

* * *

The six of them sat around a small wooden table, Sam facing Anabel over the long end. His fingers fidgeted; despite having rekindled their relationship, Sam felt responsible for cutting off their communication. Learning of his father's death opened up a reason to reconnect what was left of his divided family.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Anabel. Thank you all for taking care of my brother."

"No problem. We should be thanking you for helping us with Team Rocket earlier," Ash mentioned. "My name is Ash." The other travelers introduced themselves one after the other.

"So what are travelers like yourself doing here?" Anabel inquired, after taking a sip of tea.

"I'm here to challenge the Battle Tower!" exclaimed Ash, with his Pikachu echoing his enthusiasm. Sam noticed a small quirk in his sister's expression.

"Well good luck in that Ash. You really seem like the skilled trainer." Sam could tell there was something behind the twinkle in Anabel's eyes. He was surprised when they made eye contact. "You've grown up as well, Samuel."

"Stop saying that like you're older than me," Sam fidgeted- he wasn't used to the attention as well as the smirk that played on May's face.

"You never said that you had an older sister," teased the coordinator.

"We're twins," Sam mumbled, his cheeks turning the same color as his hair. He saw Max nudge his sister, likely to keep her from saying anything else.

"That's cool," noted Ash, saving Sam from his embarrassment, albeit in ignorance.

"Not every day do you meet twins," agreed Brock, likely the one of the two more aware of the situation. Max checked his watch.

"Ash, look at the time." The young, ambitious trainer glanced at the wall clock, his eyes widening in surprise as he jumped to his feet.

"We're going to be late!" he glanced at Sam and Anabel. "Sorry, but we need to get to the Battle Tower."

"We'll be sure to visit afterwards," promised May as the rest of the gang rose to leave.

"But we need to go." Max stated.

"Until next time!"

"Thank you for your hospitality," Brock said as the group scurried out of the house. Sam turned to his sister.

"Why are you smirking?" he asked. The Sailor Maiden's grin grew wider.

"We'll be seeing them sooner than they think."


End file.
